Ed Black

Early this month, the Obama administration released two rigorous and thoughtful reports on commercial privacy issues involving so-called big data. As useful as they may be for the subject at hand, the reports made no attempt to address the most pressing controversy in the online privacy arena: widespread warrantless government surveillance. Is it sleight of hand when top officials keep the nation’s brightest privacy minds busy on projects that sidestep and deflect attention from the Snowden-induced controversy over NSA surveillance programs?

In the last decade, technological advances have provided new ways for people to listen to the music they love and explore new genres. This innovation is no more evident than in radio, where new alternatives such as cable, satellite and Internet radio have broadened the notion of what radio is.

Earlier this month, news reports suggested that Federal Trade Commission staff were preparing to recommend a lawsuit against Google resulting from its long-running antitrust investigation. At this point, it is unclear whether the FTC is about to file a formal complaint or is angling for a settlement.